The Palace of Benin

The palace of Benin was home to the oba (king) of the Benin kingdom. It was the centre of political, religious and artistic life for the Edo people.

The palace was full of beautiful metalwork, as well as wood and ivory carvings. Some of these were destroyed in 1897 after an attack by British forces.

Many of the brass metal objects that survived are now in the British Museum, and we can use them to help us imagine what the palace might have been like.

Today, there is still an oba and a palace in the modern Benin City.

About the
Palace of Benin

Where: Benin City, West Africa (in what is now southern Nigeria)

Made of: wood, mud and palm leaves

Decorated with: brass wall plaques and roof sculptures

Find Benin objects in the Museum: in Room 25

A view of the city

This image of Benin City is by a European artist. It gives us an idea of how the city might have looked over 300 years ago. You can see the palace in the background – each turret has a bird statue on top. At the front of the picture, there is a royal parade with music and dancing.
It's behind you!

This photograph was taken at the palace, during the expedition made by the British in 1897. In the background you can see the palace roof with a snake made of brass slithering down it. Photos like this one are the best guide we have to knowing what Benin looked like.
Sssssssssss!

This head was part of a brass snake on the palace roof – it was fixed to the roof with its body zigzagging down and its head at the bottom. Fifteen of these snake heads survive. We are not sure if the snakes were meant to be protective pythons or threatening puff adders.
Palace plaque

We can tell that this plaque shows the palace of Benin from the snake slithering down the roof, just like the one in the expedition photo. We’re not sure if the stairs in the middle are meant to be part of an altar or a gateway – what do you think?
A very runny nose!

This looks like an ornament or toy but it’s actually a water jug. When the jug is filled, the leopard’s tail is used as a handle to tip it, and water comes out of its nostrils! These days a jug like this is used for water to wash the oba’s hands before he makes important offerings.
Would you sit on a fish?

The design on this stool is of two squirmy mudfish. The eyes are made of iron and there are lots of patterns on the surface. Can you spot the long whiskers on the mudfish? Many stools from Benin were carved from wood, but this one is made of cast brass.
Musical clappers

The people of Benin used many musical instruments. This one, in the shape of an Oro bird, is called an idiophone or clapper. It was used during parades to celebrate the Benin kingdom’s victories in battle. To play it, a brass rod is used to hit the bird’s beak.
Container of power

This container was used in the ceremony of Ugie Erha Oba, which was held for the oba to honour his ancestors. It was filled with magical medicines to keep the oba in power. It is covered with human heads, leaves and bells – you can see the snake from the roof here too.